Visual activity predicts auditory recovery from deafness after adult cochlear implantation.

Modern cochlear implantation technologies allow deaf patients to understand auditory speech; however, the implants deliver only a coarse auditory input and patients must use long-term adaptive processes to achieve coherent percepts. In adults with post-lingual deafness, the high progress of speech recovery is observed during the first year after cochlear implantation, but there is a large range of variability in the level of cochlear implant outcomes and the temporal evolution of recovery. It has been proposed that when profoundly deaf subjects receive a cochlear implant, the visual cross-modal reorganization of the brain is deleterious for auditory speech recovery.

Binaural stimulation through cochlear implants in postlingual deafness: a positron emission tomographic study of word recognition.

Hypothesis: Bilateral stimulation through cochlear implants induces a brain activity pattern closer to the normal one than unilateral stimulation.

Background: Although it has been shown that speech comprehension through bilateral cochlear implants leads to better performances than after unilateral implantation, the existence of neural underpinnings of this improvement remains to be studied.

Methods: We performed an H2O positron emission tomographic study of word recognition in 5 patients with bilateral cochlear implants and 5 normal-hearing controls.

Evolution of crossmodal reorganization of the voice area in cochlear-implanted deaf patients.

Psychophysical and neuroimaging studies in both animal and human subjects have clearly demonstrated that cortical plasticity following sensory deprivation leads to a brain functional reorganization that favors the spared modalities. In postlingually deaf patients, the use of a cochlear implant (CI) allows a recovery of the auditory function, which will probably counteract the cortical crossmodal reorganization induced by hearing loss. To study the dynamics of such reversed crossmodal plasticity, we designed a longitudinal neuroimaging study involving the follow-up of 10 postlingually deaf adult CI users engaged in a visual speechreading task.

Correlations between CT scan findings and hearing thresholds in otosclerosis.

Conclusion: High-resolution computed tomography (CT) scan may reveal an isolated fenestral form of otosclerosis, and an extensive form, which involves multiple foci around the otic capsule. Pre- and postoperative hearing thresholds are poorer in patients with extensive otosclerosis and their chance of overclosure is reduced by 90%.

Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between CT scan extension of otosclerotic foci and hearing thresholds in the operated ear, before and after stapedotomy.

Revision stapes surgery: the "lateralized piston syndrome".

Objective: The need for revision stapes surgery has many causes, and among these, we describe a particular displacement of the piston: the "lateralized piston syndrome". The goal of this study is to define criteria and surgical management of this syndrome.

Study Design: Retrospective study over 13 years.

Reliability of high-resolution CT scan in diagnosis of otosclerosis.

Objective: To assess the reliability of high-resolution computed tomographic scan (HRCT scan) for the diagnosis of otosclerosis and to determine its usefulness to predict hearing deterioration and surgical difficulties.

Study Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Tertiary reference center.